ARLINGTON, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) has been named a 2026 DCA Live Red Hot Association, a recognition that spotlights the Washington, D.C. region’s most innovative trade associations and professional societies.
The honor recognizes associations that have found new ways to deliver value to their members and take fresh approaches to addressing the challenges facing their respective industries. NACDS was selected from a deep pool of standout organizations.
Of the more than 3,000 associations in the D.C. region, NACDS and 35 associations were honored at a reception in Washington, D.C., on August 25, 2026.
DCA Live is a Washington, D.C. business and media networking organization. The annual DCA Live recognition spotlights associations that are demonstrating exceptional momentum, innovation, leadership, and impact in the nation’s capital.
NACDS’ selection reflects the association’s continued evolution as a leading voice for pharmacy, and its leadership in advancing solutions that strengthen the healthcare system and the communities pharmacies serve.
In accepting the award, NACDS President and CEO Steven Anderson said,“This recognition is particularly meaningful because it recognizes not only growth, but innovation. Our members are on the front lines of some of the most important changes taking place in healthcare and retail. NACDS is committed to leading that change.”
Read the DCA Live interview from early August with NACDS President and CEO Steven Anderson in full below:
Who are your members?
ANDERSON: Chain pharmacies — the drug stores, supermarkets, and mass merchants where people fill their prescriptions — plus the suppliers who partner with them. Members range from regional chains with as few as four stores to national companies. Chains operate approximately 32,000 pharmacies. Supplier members include manufacturers, wholesalers, and technology and service providers whose products and solutions help pharmacies serve communities every day.
Association mission:
ANDERSON: NACDS advocates for chain pharmacies and the people they serve. The association’s mission is to advance the interests of the chain pharmacy industry by fostering its growth and promoting its role as a provider of healthcare services and consumer products. We work to keep pharmacies strong and accessible, advocate for policies that allow pharmacists to operate at the top of their education, and help members deliver the care and everyday products their communities count on.
Why are you Red Hot in 2026?
ANDERSON: This has been a year of transformation for NACDS. We helped enact the most expansive federal reforms of pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) practices in history, along with hundreds of new reform laws in the states. PBMs are prescription drug middlemen, and reforms are focused on reducing people’s medication costs, preventing pharmacies from being forced to close, and maintaining people’s access to products and services that they need. None of it happened by accident; it was the product of years of focus, persistence, and coalition building, and it reflects a simple truth we’ve long championed — that retail pharmacy is essential to communities, to access, and to better health. While these were some tremendous victories, we know the work isn’t finished. Passing reform is one thing, but making sure it delivers is another. As we look toward implementation and oversight, we’re keeping the pressure up to ensure these reforms translate into real results for pharmacies and the patients they serve.
We know the future isn’t only about policy. It’s also about fostering talent, which is why we’re launching the inaugural class of our Emerging Leaders Academy at our NACDS Total Store Expo. This program brings together 48 pharmacy students and 20 pharmacy deans from across the country to see the breadth of this industry and where it’s headed. They’re the leaders who will carry this work forward.
We’re also opening new doors for our member companies. Through the Milken Institute, the Your Care Coalition, and a growing network of partners, we’re expanding pharmacy’s role in Food Is Medicine, in the fight against chronic disease, and in test-and-treat services. The initiatives and partners differ, but they all move in the same direction: bringing more care closer to people through the professionals they already know and trust.
Lastly, we’re leaning into what comes next. At our NACDS Total Store Expo, more than 50 AI-enabled exhibitors will fill the Exhibit Hall — the largest AI presence ever at the show. Artificial intelligence is already reshaping retail, healthcare, and patient engagement, and it’s our retailer-supplier partnerships that turn that innovation into real value for customers, patients, and communities.
